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Destination Algonquin Park: Tracks to Cache Lake and the Highland Inn

$40.00

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Today’s visitor to Cache Lake may wonder about some unusual features visible there. Near the parking lot is a long, low, retaining wall, a concrete sidewalk and steps leading to nowhere, and a short, isolated section of rusting railway track. All are disappearing under a blanket of pine needles. Close by, two hydrants jut out in the middle of a red-pine plantation, and a noble white pine near the public washroom, towers over the surrounding red pines.

This majestic white pine is the only living witness to much of what evolved in this historic area of Algonquin Park not so long ago. Here a once-grand hotel complex, train station, park headquarters, and golf course thrived for half a century. Nothing — or at least very little — of the Highland Inn, camps, associated buildings, and rail lines is still in evidence at Cache Lake. If the pine could talk, it would tell some of the stories about the buildings and the people who worked in them a century ago.

In Destination Algonquin Park: Tracks to Cache Lake and the Highland Inn, Don Beauprie relates the history of a thriving part of Algonquin Park where people once lived or vacationed in grand inns or at camps and cottages, and where he has spent much of his life. His book begins with J.R. Booth’s railway, which led to the development of tourism and the Highland Inn, and concludes with tales about the settlement of Cache Lake and its characters.

In the pages of this informative and enjoyable publication, readers will find much to enrich their personal libraries and knowledge of our beloved provincial park.

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“All aboard! Readers are in for a fantastic ride down memory lane as well as into a lot of new and unexplored territory in Don Beauprie’s wonderful Destination Algonquin Park: Tracks to Cache Lake and the Highland Inn. It is an accurate portrayal of a part of Canadian history that deserves more attention. It is a welcome addition to the growing literature of Canada’s first ‘national’ park. And it is, more than anything else, a great read from a fine writer. Take a seat, sit back — and enjoy.”Roy MacGregor, author of Northern Light: The Enduring Mystery of Tom Thomson and the Woman Who Loved Him; Canadians: Portrait of a Country and Its People; and A Life in the Bush: Lessons from My Father.

Administrator –May 5, 2016

“In this long-anticipated labour of love, Don Beauprie has extensively consulted both archival sources and his personal recollections to reveal the history of the one-time hub of Algonquin Park at Cache Lake.”Roderick MacKay, former seasonal interpretive naturalist, Algonquin Park; author of Spirits of the Little Bonnechere and co-author (with William Reynolds) of Algonquin

Administrator –May 5, 2016

“Cache Lake has always played a significant role in many facets of Algonquin Park’s history. From his long personal connection with Cache Lake and his extensive research, Don has presented us with a friendly and personal trip back in time. A thoroughly enjoyable and factual read.”John Simpson, Algonquin Park superintendent and Cache Lake resident, 1975–1980

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